News & Updates

Add a candle each day, or go full-on glitter when the spirit moves you.

We designed these special sets of nail decals and temporary tattoos to make Hanukkah a little bit brighter for students who will spend the holiday completing exams and writing papers. We think these are beyond fun - and they capture the spirit of Hanukkah & share it with the world in a way that we want to share with our donors.

If you supported jU with a gift of $18 or more this year, we will be sending you a set of our decals and tattoos to enjoy. If you haven't already given, it's not too late to become a donor -- you have until December 1st to get your gift in before we send them out!

At our clothing swap events, we collect donations from students, who trade clothes with one another for a fun, eco-friendly, budget-friendly wardrobe refresh. After the swapping has ended, we donate leftover clothing to the Trans Life Center, a great organization that was suggested by several of our student interns.

This week, more than 200 students spent time relaxing and celebrating in jU’s sukkah on the quad. Throught Spring Quarter, our interns worked together to design our Sukkot celebration, which they named “rejUvenate”. The sukkah was designed to be a refuge in the wilderness of UChicago’s first week of fall quarter; a place where students were met with snacks, guidance (including literal directions to first-years looking for buildings around campus!), and a variety of surprises designed to promote create a cozy, safe, and warm environment for students to celebrate Sukkot together.

Inside the sukkah, we gave out zines explaining the history and traditions associated with Sukkot, along with the values that shaped our celebration this year. We also gave out meticulously thrifted flannel shirts and sweaters (customized with special jU tags) to provide an extra layer of warmth during the first chilly week of the season. Throughout the week, we also set up a station where students could choose from a box of colorful stationery and write letters to their loved ones, which we collected and mailed for free.

On Wednesday evening, we shared a hearty Ethiopian meal in the Sukkah, which was illuminated by glow-sticks. One student said, “I came here and I was cold, and jU gave me a sweater!”

More than 675 individual students attended over 100 jU-sponsored events during the 2014-2015 school year. Events included intimate home-based Shabbat dinners between friends (and sometimes with rad celebrity guests such as professor Hillary Chute and Dillan Siegler from the University of Chicago Institute of Politics), festive holiday brunches, book clubs, Hebrew study groups, clothing swaps, cooking groups, and even an improv club!

jU's approach is to empower students to create their own meaningful Jewish experiences. Through our Do-It-Yourself Seder program, we give student hosts the opportunity to plan and host their own Seders, from the menu to the Haggadah to the guests. jU provides reimbursement for food and printing, along with ritual items like our special UChicago-themed Seder plate. We also host Seder planning workshops, and jU staff members make themselves available to students to provide guidance throughout the process.

This year was the Seder program's second successful run -- hundreds of students attended jU-sponsored Seders! Here are a few photos of different ways that students made their Seders unique.

It's that time of year again! We're looking to connect with students who want to host Passover seders in their dorms or apartments. Passover is the first week of Spring Quarter. We're able to offer hosts the following: financial support ($12 per guest for food, $50 for printing/copying costs), ritual items (a seder kit featuring a UChicago-themed seder plate) and consulting to help hosts create an unforgettable seder experience.

jU Chicago

jU Chicago's mission is to inspire and empower every Jewish student at the University of Chicago to build a meaningful Jewish adult life while at the University and after graduation.

Jewish life happens at home.

That's why most of our programs take place in student dorms and apartments. Through our host-at-home programs, we are able to offer students financial resources, ritual items and creative Judaica, and thoughtful, personalized consultation to help them figure out how to create experiences that feel comfortable, creative, and authentic.